The WOWMOBILE spent last night out under the stars, and while it was a clement evening, needless to say this was not by design. As with a bus, the bookmobile has a pneumatic device that "kneels" the vehicle for easier patron ingress and egress. Well, at my first stop on Monday morning WOW knelt but did not rise, and whatever malfunctioned did so to the extent that the wheel well is now resting on the rear tire on the passenger side. To condense the story, when the mechanic finally did arrive, he was--not surprisingly--unable to jack the vehicle up high enough to assess the problem.
And so the better part of my day was spent sitting under a tree reading an old (1948) book by Bernard Devoto, The Hour, a darkly jocular meditation on what does (rye, bourbon, or a gin martini) and what does not (everything else) constitute a proper cocktail. "Darkly jocular" may seem an oxymoron, but I think it appropriate. When speaking, for example, of "The Enemy," Mr. DeVoto (who has quite a way with words) likes to write sentences such as, "I am not concerned with [them]...unless you think it possible to sterilize or massacre them on a sufficiently rewarding scale." Around four o'clock the library got a van out to pick me up.
Today I took said van and did my stops, while scientists studied how to raise and repair the bookmobile. As I write, it remains where I left it. Sleep tight, My Prince.
The June calendar throws a few curves at us as a 1-3 Monday is followed by 2-4 Tuesday, Wednesday, etc., and as much as I'd like to say that that's old hat for me, I'm always confused. As confused as I am, I've never taken the wrong route, but in my early days I certainly missed stops because I didn't know where I was going, and of course I've left my fair share of books behind on the loading dock.
So, what great things have happened this week? Fortunately, no one has ever passed out or died on the WOWMOBILE; which is not such a big deal, you say, but in the same vein while I've never missed a meal, I still give thanks for each one I do enjoy.
At Bookmobile-Outreach Services, we are blessed with a visionary department head who had the idea that in addition to offering traditional services we should also offer programming a la a brick and mortar library. We have just completed a fabulously successful season of "Book Talks," each of which was far better than the initial one that was done by yours truly. "Book Talks" will be on hiatus until the Fall; however, we will close the season with a musical program featuring the Library's own Dewey Decibelles singing selections from the songbook of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Our library has a number of women with beautiful singing voices; why we don't have a full-time choral group is beyond me. I also strongly believe that, in addition to its regular complement of staff, any proper library should have, if not a corps of, at least a butler or two to assist the patrons. I may be out of step with others in the field here, but I can't deny my feelings.
